Rev. Skip Seibel

 

Since 1957, First Presbyterian Church has sponsored the Cabwaylingo Presbyterian Chapel in Dunlow, WV, a small rural community in southern Wayne County. A long time beacon of hope for the Dunlow community, the Chapel was on the verge of ending its ministry in 2002.

 

Reluctant to accept the loss of the Chapel, the FPC Outreach Committee decided to give it one more shot. The Committee allocated funds to sustain the ministry for three years and hired Bill Likens as part-time Director of Community Ministries.  I personally worked with Bill to develop a plan to revitalize the Chapel’s ministry.  The plan was simple: first, develop a sustainable financial base and second, energize and expand the Chapel’s community ministries.

 

Eleven years later I stood among community members, Presbytery officials, government officials and friends of the Chapel to offer a prayer of dedication for our newly completed  two-story, 9,000 square feett community center, funded and built by mission partners from  locations as far away as Kansas and Connecticut.   Standing in awe of what God had done, I contemplated the remarkable truth that for decades to come, this building will serve the community and give witness to the grace and power of our loving God.

 

Today, Cabwaylingo Presbyterian Chapel has a strong financial base, a children’s and youth ministry that engages every child in the community and ministries of compassion that continue to  transform lives through the power of Christian compassion and mercy.